April is Autism Awareness Month and the Advance should be commended for its effort in promoting community awareness of autism. Recent articles about the GRACE foundation, On Your Mark, Eden II, The Institute for Basic Research and the Autism Fair have been highlights.

Also mentioned was the North Shore Rotary, comprising so many of our community professionals and business leaders who have demonstrated their generosity and awareness of this growing condition.

Support services for autistic children have grown over the past years and are evident throughout elementary and secondary education. This support has been established on the college level for a specific group of individuals who have Asperger Syndrome, a condition that is on the high end of the autistic spectrum.

Individuals with Asperger Syndrome are most often quite intelligent and have a specific talent or interest in which they excel. Their weakness lies in social and communication skills and this makes it difficult for them to navigate life in a very social world.

Over the years, I have seen brilliant students with Asperger Syndrome who have worked diligently and have earned their college degrees with honors.

After graduation, however, there is a disconnect between the academic world and world of work. There young men and women are bright, diligent, creative and hard-working but often do no interview well due to their difficulties with communication skills.

Given a structured environment in which the need to socialize is minimal, they would prove to be an asset to any organization willing to give them an opportunity for employment.

In an attempt to contribute to Autism Awareness Month, I ask that these students be recognized for the positive contributions they have to offer. They mature into young adults who have the ability and the desire to live self-supporting, independent and productive lives. The threshold from the academic world to the workplace may be a challenge for them but it is one that they will be able to cross if invited.

[The writer is counselor, center for student accessibility, College of Staten Island